In a disturbing case of animal cruelty, authorities in Telangana have reported that approximately 100 stray dogs were poisoned to death in a village in Mancherial district.
The incident came to light following a complaint filed by animal welfare activist A Goutham, who serves as Cruelty Prevention Manager with the Stray Animal Foundation of India, an NGO. According to the complaint, the killings took place during the night of March 7-8 in Kishtapur village.
Goutham accused the village Sarpanch and Gram Panchayat Secretary of hiring two individuals to carry out the act. The dogs were allegedly administered poisonous injections before their bodies were buried near a river.
Hyderabad police confirmed that a case has been registered at Jannaram police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The accused include the Sarpanch and Gram Panchayat officials, with investigations ongoing.
This latest episode adds to a troubling pattern of stray dog killings in Telangana. Earlier reports from January 2026 and December 2025 documented similar mass incidents across multiple districts, resulting in around 1,300 deaths overall. In those cases, animal welfare activists lodged complaints leading to FIRs against several Sarpanchs, their spouses, Gram Panchayat Secretaries, and others.
Investigators suspect many of these killings were orchestrated by local elected representatives to address resident concerns about stray dogs, fulfilling campaign promises made before the gram panchayat elections held in December last year.
The recurring nature of such incidents has drawn attention to the ongoing challenges of managing stray animal populations while adhering to animal welfare laws. Police continue to probe the Kishtapur case, with no further details released on potential arrests or forensic findings at this stage.